Mother’s Day is around the corner and what could be a better gift than a book to curl up with this autumn? Whether your mum is a fiction lover, a history buff or has an inner child to please, we have the perfect book for her!
The Fiction Lover
Giovanna’s Navel, Ernest van der Kwast
Melancholic yet tender, these beautifully rendered atmospheric stories explore loss longing, coming of age, and regret, and speak to the humanity in all of us.
The Dictionary of Animal Languages, Heidi Sopinka
A thrillingly elegant yet raw evocation of a woman clawing her way to a creative life, inspired by the story of surrealist artist Leonora Carrington.
Between a Wolf and a Dog, Georgia Blain
Ester is a family therapist with an appointment book that catalogues the anxieties of the middle class: loneliness, relationships, death. She spends her days helping others find happiness, but her own family relationships are tense and frayed. Taking place largely over one rainy day in Sydney, and rendered with the evocative and powerful prose Blain is known for, Between a Wolf and a Dog is a celebration of the best in all of us — our capacity to live in the face of ordinary sorrows, and to draw strength from the transformative power of art.
The History Buff
The Lost Boys, Gina Perry
Gina Perry brings a new and previously untold perspective to one of the 20th century’s most famous psychological studies. This is a compelling portrait of a charismatic and troubled psychologist, Muzafer Sherif, and an exploration of the power that social scientists can hold over their subjects.
We Are Here, Fiona Harari
For those who survived World War II, liberation came with the enormous weight of guilt and memory as they began the second part of their lives, often in faraway places such as Australia, which would become home to one of the world’s highest per capita communities of Holocaust survivors. These are the last adult witnesses — in their own words.
The Appreciator of Australian Stories
The Bridge, Enza Gandolfo
In 1970s Melbourne, 22-year-old Italian migrant Antonello is newly married and working as a rigger on the West Gate Bridge, a gleaming monument to a modern city. In 2009, Jo and her best friend, Ashleigh, are on the verge of finishing high school and flush with the possibilities for their future. But one terrible mistake sets Jo’s life on a radically different course. A touching story of family, life and loss centred around the Melbourne Westgate Bridge.
Ironbark, Jay Carmichael
A brilliant coming-of-age story by a powerful new writer. Christos Tsiolkas described it as: ‘A work of great and simple beauty, so good it made me jealous. And grateful.’
The Boy From Baradine, Craig Emerson
From the bush of Baradine to the corridors of Canberra, this is Craig Emerson’s story of triumph and courage over adversity. An unusual ex-politician’s memoir. It is a deeply human tale of trauma and triumph, of fear and fun, of character overcoming adversity.
The Inner Child
Rhyme Cordial, Antonia Pesenti
A fun, new take on wordplay from bestselling illustrator Antonia Pesenti. Open the pages to reveal unexpected rhymes and bold, bright illustrations.
Mr Shaha’s Recipes for Wonder, Alom Shaha
By science teacher and dad, Alom Shaha, this beautifully illustrated book gives clear, step-by-step instructions for over 15 experiments.
Happy Mother’s Day!
